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| Criterion |  Architecture Architecture Inception Canvas |  Architecture arc42 |  Architecture Views and Beyond |  Architecture Architecture Decision Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | The Architecture Inception Canvas bundles the first architecture questions into a compact decision picture. It fits when an initiative is still in motion but still needs clear guardrails. | arc42 structures architecture knowledge so teams can document system, decisions, and risks consistently. The template builds a living understanding of the architecture instead of scattered notes. | Views and Beyond organizes architecture into several views so no single diagram has to do everything at once. This makes it possible to choose the representation that fits the stakeholder's question. | An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 1-2 Tage | 1-3 Tage | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 1-4 | 1-4 | 1-3 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Async |
Outputdifferent | Inception Canvas, Risks, Goal List, Open Questions | Architecture Document, Context View, Runtime View, Deployment View | Architecture Views, Cross-view Notes, Rationale | ADR File, Decision Log, Rationale |
Tags1 shared | AlignmentArchitectureCanvas | ArchitectureDocumentationCommunication | DocumentationStakeholdersArchitecture | ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance |